Rochester Hills, Mich. – October 06, 2026 -- FANUC America will demonstrate a collaborative robot that executes packaging tasks from spoken natural-language commands at PACK EXPO International 2026 in Chicago, part of a broader exhibit addressing labor shortages in packaging and food processing.
At Booth N25217, the company's CRX-20iA cobot -- rated for 20 kg payloads -- will respond to verbal production requests by using Generative AI to convert speech into AI-generated Python code and robot actions, a method FANUC calls "vibe coding."
FANUC expands cobot palletizing capacity to 40 kg with new vision-guided unit
The new CRX/30-18A collaborative robot, equipped with integrated 3D vision guidance and a dual-case gripper, handles heavier palletizing loads than earlier cobot models while retaining standard ease-of-deployment features.
A separate three-robot work cell -- combining the CRX-20iA/L, CRX-10iA and CRX-5iA -- will run an end-to-end packaging sequence covering vision-guided picking, label verification, packing and palletizing in a single automated line.
Food-grade robots target washdown environments and frozen protein handling
FANUC's food-grade lineup includes the IP69K-rated DR-3iB/6 Stainless delta robot paired with an SR-12iA/C SCARA robot for high-speed sausage-link packaging in washdown conditions, using vacuum grippers and the company's iRPickTool software.
For frozen protein case packing, the LR Mate Food Clean robot uses iRVision technology to identify randomly oriented packages on a moving conveyor and place them into cases. A separate M-710/50-26D Food Option robot, carrying a 50 kg payload capacity, performs automated palletizing of product crates using PalletTool 3 software and NVIDIA Isaac Sim digital twin visualization.
Dynamic proximity monitoring keeps robots moving alongside human workers
The CRX-10iA/L cobot will demonstrate dynamic motion planning combined with machine vision and barcode verification, automatically adjusting its path around workers on the line to avoid production stoppages.
A FANUC SR-9iA/R SCARA robot will also show circular line-tracking, picking moving parts, placing them into trays, then automatically changing tooling to transfer parts into cartons.
"Our PACK EXPO exhibit highlights automation technologies that can be applied across a wide range of manufacturing environments, helping companies reduce manual tasks, improve operational efficiency and accelerate their automation journey," said James Cooper, FANUC America Vice President, U.S. General Industry Sales.
The exhibit will also feature FANUC's R-50iA and R-30iB Mini Plus controller platforms alongside its iRVision, iRPickTool, PalletTool 3 and visual conveyor tracking technologies.